Wednesday, December 30, 2009

There was a perfect light, drizzly rain today when Austin and I went for our walk/hike. He actually got started without me as I let the big dogs out of their pen and picked up poop. I kept hollering for him to come back, but the little bugger just kept walking up toward my parents' house where he knew they would give him food. Shit, that kid likes to eat.

Anyway, I followed him up the hill when I was done and we made our way around the garages and the barn and up the hill and through the trees. We were starting to get wet through when I said we should head home, but we ended up in our favorite hiding place instead. There's a small space behind the holding tank for my parents' well. There's lattice and vines overhead and a retaining wall behind. It's one of those perfect places to be quiet and listen to birds calling and leaves blowing in the wind. If you don't draw attention to yourself by making noise, you can stay in the shadows like a little critter and catch bugs and hide treasures. Today we could even hear the water running into the tank from the pump. It was such a perfect, peaceful sound.

We don't have enough of those intriguing little spots for kids (and kids at heart) on our end of the property. That's something I want to work on. My idea of a perfect garden would be one that fairies would be glad to call home, with flowers and fruits and overgrown greenery and perfect little hiding places. The Burpee catalog came a few days ago and I poured over it like a kid with a toy catalog.

I think it will be the way I imagine it eventually. We already have the orange tree (that little thing can produce!) a good lime tree (the half that the gopher left us at least, fucking gopher), lavender, roses, some trees, and a healthy looking wisteria getting started.

Here's part of my wish list: magnolia, catalpa, almond, walnut, blackberries, more roses, mint, maybe some oleander, sweetgum, maybe some bamboo, I have some ginkgoes inside that I need to move out this spring... sigh. I can't wait.